


Pride. Loyalty. Heart

by RVTstudent



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Drinking & Talking, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Male-Female Friendship, at the bar, developing feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 03:32:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16694623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RVTstudent/pseuds/RVTstudent
Summary: On a rare night out that didn’t end in him taking someone home, Quintus Adessar and Alena T’Rani have a bit of a heart to heart.





	Pride. Loyalty. Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BronzeAgeLove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BronzeAgeLove/gifts).



> For the awesome BronzeAgeLove!  
> I hope I managed to capture some of your OC's personalities in this fic :)  
> I had this idea come to me last night and I couldn't help but write it.  
> Italicized lines belong to @BronzeAgeLove and are from their fabulous fics!

“Last call!” The asari bartender’s voice rang out over the music, having been toned down from a techno club beat to a quieter blues tune to suit the attitudes of the few patrons still propped up against the bar, including Quintus Adessar, who glowered into his drink. It was a rare night when he didn’t find (and pursue) multiple prospects for a lay, but lately, his heart hadn’t been in it.

“Well, it’s last call…” Alena T’Rani drawled from to stool to his right, “shouldn’t you have found someone to ‘bump uglies’ with yet?”

The turian’s expression dropped further as he slowly downed the double shot that had been sitting in front of him. “It certainly isn’t ugly. And no – tonight’s surveillance didn’t yield any suitable targets.”

“It’s too bad that,” the asari gestured over to the large corner booth, “that group of turian soldiers with the big Captain had been leaving just as we got here. But I still see plenty here that meet your high standards of living Letch. Ya know: female…breathing.”

Quintus tugged his mandibles close to his chin and reared back from the bar, quickly gripping the edge so he didn’t fall ass over fringe off the back of his stool. “That’s a low blow right there Blue.” His subvocals rumbled in slight offense. “I happen to have standards T’Rani, m’kay? And they’re real ones.”

“Such as?”

“I like it if they get my motor running.”

“Come on that’s obvious.” Alena rolled her eyes before taking another drink of her beer. Sitting her beer back on the polished bar top, she gestured for him to keep going. “What else Quintus?”

“She’d have to be able to keep up with me.”

“Adessar,” the asari shook her head, “so far I seem to be the only one you know who _can_ keep up with you.”

“And that right there, T’Rani, is why you’re a rare woman.” Adessar slapped the bar to emphasize his point, chuckling as his teammate blushed and let out a giggle of her own.

After their laughter died out, the pair turned back to their drinks, expressions sobering. Adessar sighed, reaching behind the bar to grab a bottle of asari hard liquor and another glass, pushing them into Alena’s hands before pouring himself another shot from the bottle that had been perched by his elbow all evening. It was her cousin’s bar, so T’Rani often had free rein to serve herself, a freedom Adessar didn't mind exploiting.

“Heart. She’s gotta have heart.” He paused as the drink sloshed over the edge of his glass. “Pride, loyalty, knows what she wants and goes right after it.”

He started thinking about the night the squad had partied at his apartment, playing truth or dare, and the conversation he'd had after most everyone had left.

 

_“…'I want to join the police' I once told them. And all my dad, my fuckin' dad!! , said, with a mean chuckle, was 'stop daydreaming, little runt, you'll never make it. You're destined to stay with us'. I was ten, minimally educated, and had never set foot on a planet. I was nothing. But it was that moment when I decided I'd show them all […] In the end, I did show them.”_

“And you know I like a little fight in a woman too.” That statement brought back another memory, and Adessar couldn't help but grin.

 

_"Adessar, you asshole!...I'm gonna kill you, you fuckin' turian bastard! I swear one day I'm gonna rip out your blue dick with my bare hands and shove it down your throat!"_

_[…]_

  
_"Good morning to you too, Officer Miura", Adessar said without looking up from his datapad when the owner of the enraged voice had stormed into the break room…_  
  
_She stared him down defiantly, an angry blush showing through her tawny brown skin as her cheeks darkened, pointing one accusing finger right at his nose, her own crinkled in annoyance._  
  
_"Don't deny it, asshole! You're the only qualified tech in this station, there's nobody else who could have hacked my locker after changing the security settings!"_  
  
_Adessar's mandibles flicked out for a second, mimicking a human smirk, as he lifted his gaze from the news feed, locking his eyes with hers._  
  
_"You know, Miura, you look fabulous when you're angry", Adessar said in a very calm voice, looking her up and down approvingly, "and pink really suits you. Contrasts nicely with that lovely shade of your skin."_  
  
_She launched herself at him with a snarl, but he slammed his hand into her bulky breastplate palm forward and held her at arm's length, while she swung a few futile punches in his direction, still spewing obscenities._

Adessar was torn from his reminiscing by Alena’s voice that was muffled and beginning to slur.

“That’s a lot to ask for, for a last call.” The asari said, her head pillowed on her bicep. “But say you find said woman, alrigh’? This rare, n’ elusive specimen…who’s to say you could even handle ‘er?”

“No one.” Adessar shook his head his tone dead serious before a hint of mischief alighted his eyes and twitched his mandibles, “But that’s the fun of it.”

 

_"All you have to do is say 'no', and I'll stop," he purred into her ear, a hint of arousal in his subvocals that was lost to her. The game was on, and the view in front of him, both inside and outside of the elevator, was fabulous._

_"How about we put all the energy we normally invest into despising each other to good use?"_  
  
_"Oh bite me, Adessar!" she uttered through gritted teeth as his right arm went around her, talons puncturing her skin through the skirt’s soft fabric while pulling her slender hips flush against his. It was a perfect fit._

He was getting a hard on just thinking about their encounter in that broken down elevator when Alena’s cousin came over to their end of the bar, wiping the last beads of water off a glass before tossing the bar towel over her shoulder, asking “You guys done?”.

Adessar bobbed his head as Alena drowsily raised a hand in greeting to her cousin, who stuck out the datapad with their bill to be paid.

“I got this.” Adessar grabbed the datapad, and took a look at the figure on the bottom of the screen. “Actually, that’s way too many credits.” He turned to thrust the bill towards his asari teammate, only to find her snoring away.

“Fine, fine. I’ll get this one, but you owe me T’Rani.” Adessar grumbled, transferring the credits to his teammate’s cousin, asking “You gonna look after her?”

“Yeah, she can sleep it off upstairs. You got someone to come get ya Quintus?”

“I think so.” Adessar pushed away from the bar and waited for the room to stop spinning before shakily making his way to the door. Opening his omni-tool and wincing at the harsh orange glow, he sent off a text message, his fingers fumbling over the interface's keyboard.

 

 **QA:** Runtj, you awgake? can you cokme gget me?

 **CM:** What the hell Adessar? I just barely fell asleep you asshole.

 **QA:** my bad. im at Lena’s cuosin's place, need a rride hom. Shee’s sleeping iyt off.

 **CM:** Fine. Be there soon.

 

Pride. Loyalty. Heart. And a bit of fight in her. That’s how Quintus Adessar would describe one Chiho Miura.

 

 

 

 

 _'I want to join the police' I once told them…_ is from [Chapter 1 of Presidium 14: Drabbles](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16198328/chapters/37855925) by @BronzeAgeLove.

 _"Adessar, you asshole!..._ is from [Chapter 1 of Don’t Hate, Elevate! Part 1 of the Citadel Elevator Series](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13016184/chapters/29767866) by @BronzeAgeLove.

 _"All you have to do is say 'no', and I'll stop…_ is from [Chapter 2 of Don’t Hate, Elevate! Part 2 of the Citadel Elevator Series](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13016184/chapters/29768211#workskin) by @BronzeAgeLove.


End file.
